Early on the afternoon of May 8, a Marshal Island flagged, German owned, Chemical tanker the Marida Marguerite, of 13000 tonnes, was hijacked 120 miles south of Salalah (Oman). The ship was approached by a pirate skiff firing automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades and the crew reported that they saw the pirates climbing onboard. The ship has a crew of 22 (19 Indian, 1 Ukranian, 2 Bangladeshi) and it is believed that all are well. A passing merchant ship tried to make contact by VHF radio but received a response from the bridge of the hijacked vessel to “go away.” EU NAVFOR will continue to monitor the situation.
